Veterans group buys museum home in Cape Coral for $1.8 million

The Invest In America's Veterans Foundation closed Friday on its building for $1.8 million. The building also houses the Southwest Florida Military Museum and Library.(Photo11: Ricardo Rolon / The News-Press)Buy Photo

The building, at 4820 Leonard St., houses the 8-year-old foundation and the Southwest Florida Military Museum, featuring memorabilia and displays from every American war. It's rented the space for the past five years.

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Flag Day was celebrated on Wednesday June 12th. To commemorate the event, The Southwest Florida Military Museum & Library in Cape Coral dedicated the ownership of an 1867 37 - star flag. The Flag was purchased from the Blackburn family and will be permanently displayed in the Library of the Museum. It has been on loan to the museum for the last three years. (Photo11: Andrew West/news-press.com)

The 1983 building was a Sweetbay Supermarket, and is 29,848 square feet, according to county records. It was owned by Los Angeles-based BRNK Cape Coral.

Santillo, president and co-founder of the museum, said the purchase provides opportunity. The foundation is a nonprofit founded for veterans to help other veterans in need. The organization provides services, such as counseling, veterans benefit advice and job search assistance, free to all veterans.

"I hope we’re going to be able to work with the city to vacate the parking lot to change the configuration," he said. "I'm hoping to add an extension to the front of the building to put in the mess hall and restaurant."

The foundation offers meals for veterans every Tuesday, and Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans meet at noon for lunch every third Thursday.

The group also routinely feeds 140 veterans and their families.

"We're having the drawings made and have to meet with the city," he said.